JP2003521701A - Color measuring instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] The specification discloses a handheld color measuring instrument capable of reading both a barcode and a sample color. The color measuring instrument comprises a single color measuring means connected to a control device capable of detecting and reading the bar code. When a barcode is detected, the control device updates the program and / or setting information with the information contained in the barcode. When no bar code is detected, the controller reads the sample color.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

The present invention relates to a color measuring instrument and a digital device, and more particularly to a handheld color measuring instrument.

[0002] Colorimeters can be capable of reading colors and converting them into mathematical descriptions. Such a mathematical description can be processed in such a way that the color function can be calculated by methods known to those skilled in the art. Examples of color measuring instruments include, but are not limited to, spectrophotometers, colorimeters, optical densitometers, and spectroradiometers.

The handheld color measuring instrument was named “Hand-Held Instrument” on November 16, 1999.
For Reflection Measuring on Printed Sheets and Test Charts "is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,986,769. This colorimeter is used to read the "color bar" printed on the sheet. Although it can be easily and accurately read to a certain level, this scanner has drawbacks. First, the instrument requires a hand-held ruler to guide along a straight path. Second
In addition, this instrument has only one photodetector. Thirdly, the space required for the encoder wheels limits the position of the support wheels.

The color measuring instrument, especially the handheld type color measuring instrument, has a limitation in the input device. In general,
Input is limited to a few keys or just one key. Therefore, such a color measuring instrument is (a) connected to a personal computer (PC) by a serial connection or a USB connection, for example, a color measuring instrument is connected to the personal computer (PC), and a program command and a setting command are input to the PC, and ) Programmed and set by sending commands from the PC to the colorimeter. Such a method is more cumbersome and time consuming than desired by the operator of the color measuring instrument.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

The aforementioned problems are overcome by the present invention, where the handheld color meter has improved functionality and ease of use.

In a first form of the invention, the color measuring instrument comprises a plurality of support rollers for guiding the movement of the instrument on the surface in a linear path direction. The instrument has a color measuring means having a window open through its bottom. Therefore, the window is moved over the surface of the sheet on which the colorimeter is printed to scan along a straight line.

In a first variant of the first aspect, the housing of the color measuring device is parallel to the direction of linear movement and has a line-defining element defining a visual line aligned with the window to be scanned. The element may be one or more wings on the housing, a notch on the housing, or a light supported by the housing. The line-defining element allows the colorimeter to be aligned with the target for accurate scanning.

In the second modification of the first embodiment, the color measuring device is an optical densitometer having a blunt nose, and the scanning window is provided in the vicinity of this nose. A plurality of photodetectors are arranged in a precise shape around the window. Neither photodetector is closer than the window to the nose. Therefore, the photodetector does not interfere with the placement of the window near the nose.

In a third variation of the first aspect, the support roller and encoder wheel are mounted on the bottom of the color measuring instrument. The support roller is near the bottom of the color measuring instrument. By separating the support rollers from each other as much as possible (i.e., locating them near the bottom perimeter), tracking movement on the path of the color meter is improved. The encoder wheels are arranged in a space inside the support roller which provides space for the encoder assembly.

In a fourth variant of the first aspect, the color measuring means in the color measuring device can read both the bar code and the color bar or other targets. Therefore, the color measuring device can be used, for example, to read barcode information for setting the color measuring device. The color meter does not require a separate optical device to read the bar code.

In the second aspect of the present invention, the color measuring device can be programmed and / or set by reading a barcode using a color measuring means. In particular, the color measuring device comprises a housing, a color measuring means and a control device (i.e. a microprocessor) within the housing. The controller is connected to the color measuring means and can detect and read the bar code. Therefore, programming information and / or setting information can be input to the colorimeter via a barcode. Such an input method is easy, accurate and fast. If the color measurement device does not detect the bar code, then the color measurement device operates (as described above) for the color measurement function.

It is believed that these and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be more readily understood and appreciated by reference to the detailed description of the embodiments and drawings.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A hand-held color meter 10 constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a housing 12 (FIGS. 1-3) and a color measuring means or optical element assembly 14 (FIGS. 4-7). There is. The housing has a plurality of rollers 16 (FIGS. 3-5) that support the housing 12 and allow it to roll in the linear direction D. The optical element assembly 14 has a window 18 extending through the bottom of the housing. This window scans along a linear path, such as the color bar B, as the color measuring device moves over the surface of a printed sheet or the like.

The disclosed color meter 10 is an optical densitometer. Alternatively, the color measuring device may be any color measuring device such as a spectrophotometer or a colorimeter.

Housing The housing 12 has a bottom plate 20, a heat sink 22, and a cover 24.

The bottom plate 20 has a frame structure in which the remaining elements are supported. In this example, the bottom plate 20 is made of plastic. Alternatively, the bottom plate 20 may be made of other suitable materials.

The bottom plate 20 has an optical element socket 30 for the optical element assembly, a plurality of roller sockets 32 and an encoder socket 34. Optical element socket 30 is formed to receive optical element assembly 14. The roller socket 32 receives the support roller 16 by elastic engagement. After the support roller 16 is attached, it is rotatable in its socket 32. Similarly, the encoder socket 34 receives the encoder wheels 36 in a resilient engagement. The encoder wheel 3 is also rotatable after being attached.

The encoder wheels 36 are connected in a conventional manner to encoders (not shown) well known to those skilled in the art. As shown in FIG. 3, this encoder wheel 3
6 is near the roller 16 and the lens window 18. In this specification, the neighborhood means that the distance between the encoder wheel 36 and the window 18 is one half of the entire length of the color measuring instrument 10.
The following means that it is preferably one third or less. Providing the encoder wheels 36 near the window 18 improves the correspondence between the distance measured by the encoder and the distance measured by the window.

The bottom plate 20 further has a boss 40 provided at a front part and a boss 42 provided at a rear part for accurately and firmly fastening the cover 24 to the bottom plate 20 with a fastener (only FIG. 3 is shown). ing. The bottom plate 20 also has holes 44 through which fasteners (shown only in FIG. 3) that fasten the heat sink 22 and the optical element assembly 14 to create a heat path between the optical element and the heat sink. . The bottom plate 20 further has holes 46 in the bottom surface of the bottom plate for receiving fasteners (shown only in FIG. 3) for attaching the heat sink 22.

As shown in FIG. 3, the support roller 16 is arranged near the periphery of the housing 12 or the bottom plate 20. The movement of the colorimeter along the path is improved by placing its rollers as far apart as possible. This is the same as improving the running condition of the automobile by having the inter-axle distance. The rotation axes of all the rollers 16 are parallel to each other. Therefore, the color measuring device 10 moves along the linear direction D that is substantially perpendicular to the rotation axes of the plurality of rollers. In the presently preferred embodiment, the rollers 16 on opposite sides of the color meter 10 are substantially coaxial with each other. However, non-coaxial arrangements of rollers are also within the scope of this invention and may be desirable due to the contour of the color meter when functional and / or decorative aspects are considered.

The heat sink 22 is provided to dissipate the heat generated from the optical element assembly 14. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the heat sink 22 has an outer peripheral shape substantially similar to that of the bottom plate 20. The heat sink 22 has a support roller notch 50, an encoder wheel notch 52, and an optical element notch 54. The heat sink also has a label window 56 that allows the label provided on the label area 26 of the bottom plate 20 to be visible. The heat sink also has a recessed label area 56 which may be provided with a label (not shown) on the inside.

The heat sink 22 further has a hole 58 provided in the front part and a hole 60 provided in the rear part. The front holes 58 are aligned with the holes 44 in the bottom plate 20 and the optical element assembly 14, and the heat sink 22 may be attached to the optical element assembly 14 to provide a heat path.

The cover 24 (FIGS. 1 and 2) is shaped so as to be easily gripped by a human hand H (FIG. 1). The shape of the cover 24 is symmetrical with respect to the long axis. Therefore, the color measuring instrument 10 is not limited to the dominant hand. The bottom of cover 24 is substantially the same shape as bottom plate 20 so that the cover and bottom plate fit together when assembled. The housing 12 having the bottom plate 20 and the cover 24 is
It has a blunt nose 62 which is a blunt head with no sharp tip. In this example, the nose is substantially straight and planar. However, `` blunt (blunt
) ”Is generally understood to mean broader than approximately straight or flat. One or more lines 61 may be printed, cut out, or otherwise provided on this nose 62. Each line 61 is perpendicular to the bottom of the colorimeter and aligned with the window 18. Line 61 visually indicates the position of window 18 to assist in reading the object (ie, reading one object without moving the colorimeter while reading).

The button 63 (FIGS. 1 and 8) is arranged in the button recess 64 so as to be easily operated by the operator's index finger (or another finger). The button 63 is electrically connected to an internal circuit of the color measuring device 10 or a processing device 99 (described later).

The housing 12 includes a number of straight line defining elements, namely windows 18 parallel to the direction of travel.
And has means for visually defining a straight line aligned with. With particular reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, these straight line defining means include a set of wings 70, a notch 72.
, Or a set of light emitting diodes (LEDs) 74.
A direction L in which each of these pairs is parallel to the direction D of movement and aligned with the window 18.
Is clear. Thus, the set of line defining elements allows the operator to visually align the color meter 10 for scanning along the color bar B or other color object.

Optical Elements Optical elements or color measuring means 14 (from top to bottom as shown in FIG. 7)
Connector 80, lamp printed circuit board (PCB) 82, lamp 84, multiple photocells or photodetectors 86, optical housing 88, infrared filter 90, limiting aperture 92.
, Lens 94, and size aperture 96. The last three components are collectively referred to as the window or aperture element 18.

The optical housing 88 has a D shape (see FIG. 6). This D-shape has a flat surface 98 adjacent the blunt nose 62 of the housing 12 within the colorimeter. This allows the optical element assembly 14 to be positioned as far forward of the housing 12 as possible, even with multiple photodetectors 86 further disposed within the optical element assembly 14.

Infrared filters 90 are well known to those skilled in the art, and infrared (IR) photocells 86
It is provided to prevent you from reaching. All elements within window 18 are also well known to those skilled in the art.

Both the lamp 84 and the connector 80 are mounted on the PCB 82 in a conventional manner. This lamp or light emitter is well known to those skilled in the art, and in the exemplary embodiment is a tungsten / halogen (ie, tungsten filament and halogen gas) lamp.

The photocells 86 are arranged in a semicircular shape around the window 18. Since the colorimeter is an optical densitometer, the photocell is selected to be sensitive to one of green-blue, magenta, and yellow to meet the American National Standard / International Organization for Standardization T system. . A pair of photocells having high sensitivity for each color are arranged at 90 degrees with respect to each other. This method improves the accuracy and average of the detected color over that of a single photocell by increasing the signal and by reducing the directional changes caused, for example, by the nature of the medium. Other response and detection modalities may be used.

Control Device As shown in FIG. 25, the color measuring instrument 10 has a computer processing device, a control device, or other processing means 99 for controlling the operation of the color measuring device and connecting the color measuring device to the computer. is doing. The color meter 10 also includes an EEPROM memory 10 for storing and storing memory information such as program information and / or system configuration information.
Have one. Computer processing units and memory are well known to those skilled in the art and need not be described in detail. Computer processing device, that is, control device 99 and memory 101
Are arranged in the space 100 (FIG. 8), and the color measuring unit 14, the input button 63, and the LED
74, and a communication socket or port 98 for proper communication.

The color measuring instrument 10 is named “Color Measurement” on October 1, 1999, for example.
It may have, for example, USB (Universal Serial Bus) and serial (ie, RS232) processing capabilities as disclosed in US patent application Ser. No. 09/411484 filed as “Instrument with Multiple Protocol Interface”. Also, the color measuring device may have internet, wireless and / or other communication capabilities.

In the disclosure of this application, the specific programming of controller 99 is within the skill of the programmer and therefore need not be described in detail.

The operation color measuring device 10 is easily used as a hand-held color measuring device. A personal computer or other device (not shown) is connected to the color measuring device 10 by a cord (not shown). This cord is connected to the color measuring instrument 10 via a socket 98.

To scan the color bar, the color measuring device is held by a human hand like a computer mouse. The color measuring device is aligned so that it can be scanned across the color bar B. All straight line defining elements facilitate accurate alignment of the color meter 10 with respect to the color bar B. As mentioned above, these elements include wings 70, notches 72, and LEDs 74. The operator then pushes the button 62 to move the color measuring device 10 along the color bar B. The operator releases the button 62 when the scanning is completed. Since the roller 16 guides the color measuring instrument 10 along the linear path D, the color measuring instrument 10 will, if originally oriented, be in the proper orientation and position.
Move along the color bar. If a slight error occurs, even if the operator needs to adjust the guide while scanning the color bar B, the adjustment is only a slight amount.

The operation of measuring the optical density of the color measuring device 10 is well known to those skilled in the art. Therefore,
No detailed explanation is necessary. Here, the photocell 86 detects light reflected from various locations along the color bar and a processor (not shown) converts the output of the photodetector into a mathematical representation of the scanned color. I will say that you can do it.

The color meter 10 can also be system configured, reconfigured or otherwise programmed with barcode information. In doing so, one or more bar code sheets are supplied by the manufacturer of the color measuring instrument. The sheet has bar code information for setting parameters, such as, but not limited to, the following. Baud rate Separation code (code that has characteristics that appear between data areas) Delimiter (code that has characteristics that indicate the end of a line) Decimal point (can be output or stopped) Automatic transmission (color measurement completed Data will be sent automatically later) Data after passing ([to collect and send all data only after measuring after passing all] Sending data for each pass) Min / Max (selection It has the minimum / maximum information of the stripped data) 10 times (increases the digit of accuracy of the measured data) Types of color measuring instrument

[0038]   Next, the system setting of the color measuring device using the barcode will be described more specifically.

The bar code system comprises a specially designed bar code format printed on the sample as measured by the pattern recognition firmware. This system uses the optics of existing optical densitometers to read bar codes, eliminating the need for additional bar code reader hardware. The bar code is drawn on the measurement path so that the color measuring instrument 10 can measure the color patch and read the bar code in one pass. The pattern recognition algorithm distinguishes between the sample area and the barcode area and processes them appropriately.

These barcodes have many uses, including but not limited to: 1) Instrument Calibration: Calibration values are encoded with calibration data along the patch for measurement. The operator can calibrate the unit by making a single pass without manually entering the calibration value. 2) Strip identification: Bar codes may be drawn along the color patch to be measured. This tags the data with the identification code. This code can be used for lot or batch identification, correct strip verification, or any other application where little information can be used with the measured color data. 3) Unit setting: The bar code may be set up so that the color meter can be configured without the need for the use of an external computer and software. The color meter firmware is set up to recognize a certain order of barcodes. These orders may correspond to internal settings. Moving the unit over a properly aligned bar code changes its internal settings to match the desired settings encoded on the bar code. A series of configuration bar codes can be printed in the user manual along with text that describes the function of each bar code.

These bar codes are read by the same optical lens used to measure color patches, rather than a dedicated bar code reader, so for example UPC
(Uniform product code) This is a form different from any barcode reading method used in the system. This method allows the lightness ratio of the medium to be different and the movement speed to be changed, but minimizes the movement space required for 8-bit information. The color meter is optimized for the size of the lens window of the optical lens and the range of movement speeds at which the barcode is measured. In this explanation, black and white are used for encoding the barcode, but since the color measuring instrument can measure three colors at the same time,
The method described here can be easily extended with barcodes having multiple parts of different or unique colors to increase the information encoded. When configured in this manner, the controller 99 can read the information contained in the barcode portions of different colors.

The basic barcode format is as follows: 1 start bit, 8 data bits that encode the least significant bit (closest to the start bit) first, and 1 stop bit. This bar code is scanned in the direction in which the start bit is read. Logic 1 is defined as a black area or a maximum density area. Logic 0 is defined as a white area or a minimum density area. The density of the patch of logic 1 is as close as possible to the highest density (D-Max) in the position along the movement path, and the density of logic 0 is the lowest density (D-Min) in the position along the movement path. It is important to be as close as possible to. Bar codes other than D-Max or D-Min cannot be recognized.

The start bit has a length of 0.4 inch (10 mm) and a length of 0.1 inch (
2.5 mm D-Min followed by 0.3 inch (7.5 mm) D-M
and ax.

Each data bit has a length of 0.2 inch (5 mm). The bits are encoded in a modified Manchester format where each bit consists of D-Max followed by D-Max. Each bit is D-for D-Min
It is determined by the ratio of the Max length measurements, where the bits that consist mostly of the D-Min region are determined to be logic 0, and the bits that are composed mostly of the D-Max region are determined to be logic 1. In order to minimize the number of light and dark changes and to maximize the size of each bit, D-Min / D-Max.
The ratio of depends on the entourage bit. Normally, logic 0 is 0.17 inch (4
． 3 mm) D-Min followed by 0.03 inch (0.8 mm) D-Max. Logic 1 is a D-Max of 0.17 inch following a D-Min of 0.03 inch (0.8 mm). The exceptions to the above arrangement are:

If the current bit is a logic 0 and the next bit is a logic 1, the D-Max area, which is usually part of the current bit, is omitted, and D, which is part of the next bit, is omitted. -The Min area is omitted (see FIGS. 9 and 10).

Stop bit: The stop bit is a logic 0 that conforms to the general specifications for data bits. The D-Max portion of this bit may be a part of the D-Max area in the vicinity. An example of a suitable barcode according to this form is shown in FIG.

When two or more bar codes are placed end to end, the stop bit of the first bar code is partially overlapped with the start bit of the second bar code to both of them. The change of bits from white to black may be arranged. For example, FIG. 12 shows three barcodes arranged end-to-end next to each other.

FIG. 13 shows a combination of start bits and stop bits of two or more barcodes.

The barcode measurement is performed using the optical element assembly 18 of the color measuring device 10.
The proportional electrical signal from the light emitting diode 86 is amplified and the analog / digital (
A / D) converter converts to binary representation. These binary values are
Stored in memory for use in pattern recognition processing. When measuring the sample, A /
The D value is continuously stored in the memory until the measurement is completed. As a result, the buffer is filled with a binary value that represents the reflected light across the sample. A mechanical distance feedback mechanism, such as a rotary encoder, improves the recognition process for a wide range of movement speed changes, but each bit of the barcode has a well-defined light-dark change on both sides. You don't need this because

After the sample of the A / D value is stored in the memory, the barcode recognition process starts. Instead of black and white barcodes, only the magenta channel is used, omitting the data from the cyan and yellow channels. However, it is also possible in this way to use cyan and yellow data along a colored barcode in order to encode a tripled amount of data in a physically identical print area.
The method can also use color combinations to further increase the amount of information encoded in the physically identical print areas. These methods seem to be the same. Therefore, this discussion will be limited to the use of black and white barcodes.

The first step is to characterize the data. This data is searched for the highest and lowest reflectance values. Once these limits are set, two thresholds are calculated as 20% of the maximum and 80% of the minimum. These thresholds may be varied and are also set primarily using the ratio of window size to varying bar size between two bits of similar value in the barcode. Two
Logic 1 (small reflectance, or black) for any A / D value less than 0% threshold
, And any A / D value greater than the 80% threshold is determined to be logic 0 (high reflectance, or white). All values between the two thresholds are considered transitions.

The next step is to scan the entire sample for barcode patterns. This step consists of several substeps. The first substep is to look for the start bit. It is defined as a given contiguous A / D value that is simply a logic one. If linear distance information is available, the start bit is defined as the linear distance of the A / D value, which is all logic one.

Once the proper start bit is found, the next substep is to locate the 8-bit data. The first data bit appears immediately after the start bit, with little or no A / D value transition between them. This data bit is defined in the same way as the start bit, but because of its correspondingly smaller size than the start bit, the number of defined A / D values is small. Here, logic 0 or logic 1 is determined. Each subsequent data bit appears after the previous bit with few intervening transition A / D samples. As each bit is found, its value is recorded for later use.

The final substep is to detect the stop bit. This bit is defined as a data bit with a value of zero. The stop bit appropriately configures 8-bit data.

Failure of any one of the above sub-steps resets the entire algorithm and restarts the search for the start bit at the current A / D buffer location. The recorded bit value is ignored. When all bytes have been recognized, the value is recorded, the algorithm is reset, and the search for the start bit is restarted at the current A / D buffer location. These steps stop when the end of the data is reached.

The last major step is to use the acquired data. This data is used internally if it matches the defined pattern. Alternatively, the data may be sent to the host computer along with the measured strip data. In this case, it is up to the host computer to determine the purpose of the data.

In the RCI command unit 10, a barcode formed according to a special format rule is recognized as an RCI command which is executed as if the command was sent through the serial port.

A. RCI Bar Code Rules Below are the RCI bar code format rules. 1) RCI commands may be encoded with as many barcodes as necessary to include all commands. 2) The first bar code must be 4 bytes long. This is 0x5
Two binary bytes of 5AA bit pattern, followed by the desired RCI
It consists of two ASCII bytes containing the two letter mnemonic of the command. 3) The parameter to the command must be encoded as a continuous bar code containing an ASCII representation of this parameter. 4) All barcodes except the last one must be exactly 4 bytes long. 5) All barcodes (first and consecutive) except the last one are MSB (topmost) of the last ASCII character set to signal that more barcodes are needed to complete the command. Must have a bit). B. Read the RCI Bar Code When reading the RCI bar code, LE
D74 informs. While scanning the first bar code, the LED 74 will be off and slowly flashing green as in a normal scan. After the unit 10 recognizes the first bar code as being part of the RCI bar code, the LED 74 flashes yellow and green slowly. This blinking pattern continues while scanning continuous bar codes. When the entire RCI barcode is read, the LED
74 continues to light green, indicating successful reading.

If the unit 10 detects an error while scanning a continuous bar code, the LED 74 will flash yellow and green rapidly. In this case, you have to scan again from the first bar code.

If the unit 10 correctly recognized the entire bar code, but the resulting RCI command generated an error code, this error code is not processed. Instead, LED 74 flashes yellow and green rapidly to indicate an error.

Instead of the LED 74, or in addition to the LED, a signal generator (not shown) such as sound, vibration, or other human-sensible signals may be used as the display means. The use of such signal generators is within the skill of those in the art.

The RCI command is coded as a bar code and executed by scanning the bar code, but the intent of doing so is that the system configuration of the unit is primarily designed without the use of sockets or ports 98. This is so that it can be done.

C. Specific RCI Command Bar Code Command Storage: BC Usage: bBC <cr> Description: This command enables or disables bar code scanning.
When enabled, the scanned data is searched for the barcode each time the barcode strip is read. There may be up to five barcodes in the reading path of a single scan of the strip. When the barcode is recognized, its value is transmitted through port 98. When disabled, barcodes placed in the reading path are ignored. Disabling the bar code will reduce the processing time after scanning strip 15
You can reduce it by about 1 second per inch. Unlike other commands that reset to the default state after a PR command (described below) or after a menu key is pressed, changing the bar code switch is written to non-volatile memory until the next change, or all It is effectively left until the memory of unit 10 is reset. The unit 10 is shipped from the factory with the bar code switch enabled. Response: <status code> Possible errors: None.

Baud Rate Command Storage: BR Usage: ddBR <cr> Description: This command changes the communication speed (baud rate) of the unit 10.
The parameter dd is shown in hexadecimal and is 2 of the desired baud rate divided by 2.
The two most significant digits (or three digits for 19200 baud). For example, to change the baud rate to 9600 baud, use the command 30BR
<Cr> is issued (hexadecimal 30 = decimal 48 = 96/2). Unit 1
0 recognizes this command before changing its baud rate. If an error occurs while processing this command, the baud rate will remain unchanged from its previous value. Acceptable baud rates are 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, and 1
9200. Response: <status code> Possible errors: PRM if the desired baud rate is omitted or not one of the values specified above. RANGE ERROR occurs.

Command Configuration Storage: CF Usage: ddaaCF <cr> (to set switch) aaCF <cr> (to return to current switch setting) Description: This command is included in unit 10. Be able to read or set the switch. The parameter aa identifies the switch being accessed and the selection parameter dd identifies the new setting for that switch.
If the data parameter is omitted, the current switch settings of unit 10 are returned. Two
Switches with only one setting (off and on) are treated like switches with multiple settings, with each setting being given a unique number (0 = off, 1 = on in this case). The switch numbers and possible settings are as follows. Number of switch numbers Possible code Possible settings AXMT 05 00 off (axmt) 01 on (AXMT) DPT 06 00 off (dpt) 01 on (DPT) SEP 07 00 spc (space) 01 com (comma) 02 tab 03 cr ( Return) 04 crlf (Return and line feed) DLIM 08 00 cr (Return) 01 crlf (Return and line feed) X10 0A 00 off (x10) 01 on (X10) DAP 0B 00 off (dap) 01 on (DAP) M / M 0C 00 off 01 min 02 max 03 m / m (both minimum and maximum)

Each time a CF command is received by the unit 10 and the switch is changed, the change is made to non-volatile EEPROM memory (preferably rated for a minimum of 10,000 to 100,000 writes per byte). ) Is written. The firmware of unit 10 compares the desired setting with the current setting and does not write the same setting to non-volatile memory. Therefore, the same settings can be sent to the unit 10 many times without fear of exhausting the memory. Response: <status code> Possible errors: Non-existent switch selected or parameter dd
Is not within range, PRM RANGE ERROR occurs.

Integrated system setting command Command: TC Usage: muccbbdsTC <cr> Description: This command is a combination of BR command, BC command, and some choices of CF commands. . The intent is to use with a barcode to allow system configuration of this unit without allowing communication via the serial port. The eight parameter strings are hexadecimal values that collectively collect the parameters of the combined commands. If any of the parameters are against the rule, the entire command is aborted. The parameters of the combined command correspond to the fields of the parameter column as follows. AXMT Automatic transmission (05CF) "cc" byte bit 0 (0x01): 0 → off, 1 → on DPT decimal point (06CF) "cc" byte bit 2 (0x04): 0 → off, 1 → on SEP separation code (07CF) Bits 0-2 (0x7) of "s" nibble: 07 CF command value DLIM delimiter (08CF) Bits 0-3 of "d" nibble (0xF): 08 CF command value X10 10 times (0ACF) Bit 5 of the "cc" byte (0x20): 0 → off, 1 → on Data after passing DAP (0BCF) Bit 6 of the "cc" byte (0x40): 0 → off, 1 → on M / M Min / Maximum (0CCF) Bits 2 to 3 (0xC) of "m" nibble: Value as 0C CF command BC Bar code (BC) Bit 1 (0x02) of "cc" byte: 0 → Not possible, 1 → Possible BR Baud rate (BR) "bb" Whole byte: Value as BR command Note: "u" nibble is not currently used. Response: <status code> Possible errors: If eight hexadecimal digits are not entered as command parameters, and one of the parameter values is out of range, PRM RANGE ER
ROR occurs.

The above description is that of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the intent and broader interpretation of the invention, which is construed according to the principles of patent law, including the doctrine of equivalents.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a color meter of the present invention scanning a color bar on a printed sheet.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a color measuring instrument of the present invention scanning a color bar.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the color measuring device.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view from above of the color measuring instrument with a cover removed.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view from below of the color measuring instrument with a cover removed.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the optical element assembly.

FIG. 7 is an exploded side view of the optical element assembly.

8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the color measuring device taken along line 8-8 of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a barcode used together with a color measuring device.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a barcode used with a color measuring device.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a barcode used with the color measuring device.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a barcode used together with a color measuring device.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a barcode used together with a color measuring device.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a bar code of an invalid command.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a bar code of a baud rate 9600 command.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing bar codes of various setting commands.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing bar codes of various setting commands.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing bar codes of various setting commands.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing bar codes of various setting commands.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing bar codes of various setting commands.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing bar codes of various setting commands.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing bar codes of various setting commands.

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of an area in a parameter string of an integrated setting command.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a bar code of an integrated setting command that sets all possible switches.

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram of the control and communication elements of this color measuring device.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (81) Designated countries EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, I T, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE, TR), JP (72) Inventor Pike, Iron Thi             Grand, Michigan, United States             Rapids, North East, Callington               2343 F-term (reference) 2G020 AA08 DA36 DA43                 5B072 AA08 CC24 CC32 DD23 GG07                       JJ11 LL07 LL11 LL18

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. A hand-held housing, a color measuring unit provided in the housing, a memory provided in the housing for recording information about operation, and a color measuring unit provided in the housing. A control device connected to the memory, wherein the control device can determine whether or not the color measuring means receives the bar code information or the non-bar code information, and the information in the memory can be determined by the received bar code information. A handheld color measuring instrument that can be changed and can output color data according to the received non-barcode information. 2. The color measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the memory information includes at least one of program information and setting information. 3. The color measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the control device can further distinguish barcode information of different colors. 4. The color measuring instrument according to claim 1, further comprising a signal generator connected to the controller, wherein the controller can activate the signal generator in response to barcode information. . 5. The color measuring device according to claim 4, wherein the signal generator includes at least one of a visual signal generator and an auditory signal generator. 6. The color measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the control device can disable the ability to receive barcode information after receiving information that is not a barcode. 7. A color measuring means for outputting color signals representing aligned colors, and a color signal connected to the color measuring means for receiving a color signal to determine whether or not the color signal corresponds to a bar code. A color measuring instrument comprising: control means for outputting bar code information when the color signal corresponds to a bar code, and for outputting color information when the color signal does not correspond to the bar code. 8. The color measuring device according to claim 7, wherein the control means further determines whether or not the barcode includes a plurality of colors, and outputs barcode information corresponding to each color. 9. The color of claim 7, further comprising signal means connected to said control means for providing a signal, said control means actuating said signal means in response to an accepted bar code. Measuring instrument. 10. The signal means comprises at least one of a visual signal means for providing a visual signal and an auditory signal means for providing an auditory signal.
The color measuring instrument described in. 11. The color measuring instrument according to claim 7, wherein the control means disables the determining means after determining that the color signal corresponds to the bar code. 12. Memory means for recording memory information including at least one of program information and setting information, reading means for reading a bar code, and control means for updating the memory information in response to the read bar code. Equipped digital device. 13. The digital device according to claim 12, wherein the memory information is setting information. 14. The bar code has a plurality of parts associated with a specific color, the reading means reads each part, and the control means responds to the respective read parts with the memory information. The digital device according to claim 12, wherein 15. The digital apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising signal means for supplying a signal, wherein the control means actuates the signal means in response to a bar code. 16. The signal means comprises at least one of a visual signal means for supplying a visual signal and an auditory signal means for supplying an auditory signal.
5. The color measuring instrument according to item 5.